The shorthand reference of -6 to -9 refers to the number of questions you can miss on an LSAT-Flex to obtain a score of 170. It’s also a reflection of general test difficulty. Harder LSATs allow you to miss more questions whereas easier exams require you to miss fewer questions.After every LSAT-Flex, there is a discussion of the relative difficulty of the test. You often hear numbers such as -7 or -9 thrown around as indicators of the LSAT scale. These numbers refers to how many questions you can miss to score a 170. Historically, "regular" non-Flex LSATs allow test-takers to miss … [Read more...]
The LSAT Never Leaves You (That’s a Good Thing)
There have been plenty of articles written about LSAT thinking in the real world, and about how LSAT logic is used (and often abused) in everyday life. Those articles are all valid, and interesting, I think! But one thought I want to mention is that the thinking skills you learn while studying for the LSAT will stay with you, and benefit you well into the future. Logical Reasoning in Daily Life While I often think of the value of learning LSAT logic when explaining LSAT questions (or arguing with my sister, who could do with a thorough reading of the Logical Reasoning Bible), what … [Read more...]
Andy Murray’s Motivational Notes and the LSAT
During a tennis match in 2015 at the Rotterdam Open, a journalist snapped a picture of tennis star Andy Murray consulting a handwritten sheet between sets. As it turns out, the sheet contained a list of tactical and mental reminders for Murray during the match. Let's take a look at the list, and then talk a bit about how you can use something similar in your LSAT preparation to your advantage. For starters, here's the tweet from the journalist.https://twitter.com/wilfredgenee/status/567625102880436224In more direct form, the list reads as follows:Be good to yourself Try your … [Read more...]
Why Did My LSAT Score Go Down When I First Started Studying?
On occasion, I speak with students who experience a score decrease when they first start preparing for the LSAT. Despite putting in a fair number of study hours, they find that initially their score stays the same, or drops a few points. This can be an extremely distressing occurrence (to put it mildly), but it's actually quite normal, and even expected. So let's talk about why it happens, and what to do about it. But... Why? The first question is, why would such a thing occur? When you study a new topic, you learn more about it, and this new knowledge should translate into a better score. … [Read more...]
Is LSAT Prep Worth the Cost?
On Reddit the other day I saw a comment that stuck with me: “The LSAT costs $200 so I don’t think I should pay more than that to prepare for it.” While on the one hand I completely understand the presumption that preparing for this test shouldn’t require much expenditure, on the other hand I also think that perspective only captures part of the picture. So let’s take a closer look!LSAT Prep Can Be Expensive Of all people, I’m well aware that LSAT preparation can be costly. We offer courses that cost over $1000 and have tutoring packages that run even higher than that. So there’s no … [Read more...]
Bruce Lee: Enter the LSAT
Most people are familiar with Bruce Lee. He was a martial arts master who became an actor, and when he died young at 32, he was already a superstar and cultural icon. But while most people know him for his martial arts movies, few know that he was also a philosopher and avid student of the mind. After his death, thousands of books were found in his house, with over 1500 marked up with detailed notes and comments. Lee wasn't just a heavy reader, he was also the author of multiple books, including writings on martial arts, poetry, philosophy, science, and positive thinking. Within those texts, … [Read more...]
What is the Best Way to Review LSAT Practice Tests?
On the PowerScore LSAT Discussion Forum, there have been discussions about how to best review practice LSATs and homework problems. Students often make a critical error when studying. I want to address that and lay down a framework for optimally reviewing the problems you complete. This will help you get the most out of the time that you spend studying. What is the Critical Study Error Many Students are Making? Most students review the questions they missed and not the ones they answered correctly. This is the most natural error in the world, but you must review every single question you … [Read more...]
Announcing: PowerScore’s LSAT Testing and Analytics Package
With the big LSAC licensing change now complete, we’re pleased to announce that we are rolling out a new LSAT digital testing program. This service provides access to every released LSAT in digital form—including over 20 tests not offered as part of LSAC's Prep Plus subscription—as well as our incredibly comprehensive performance analytics to help you identify and resolve any areas of weakness!Why Offer It Now? As we’ve discussed previously, LSAC has implemented a new LSAT question licensing program that requires anyone viewing LSAT questions in a digital format to have an … [Read more...]
LSAT Licensing Has Changed
If you are a listener of our podcast, you may have heard us talk in depth about the changes to LSAT question licensing and the impact they would have. In that episode we explained that LSAC, the people who make the LSAT and own all LSAT questions, has changed the terms of the licensing for LSAT questions for all companies, and that has far-reaching consequences on how we are able to deliver PowerScore LSAT content to students. Our licensing changed Tuesday, June 30th at 1 PM Eastern, and these are the following effects:If You’ve Purchased Courses, Tutoring, or Tests From Us Prior to June … [Read more...]
How Hard is the LSAT?
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is, "How hard is the LSAT?" Most students have heard the test is difficult, but unless they've taken an LSAT already, they don't have a good idea of whether the test really is hard, or whether it's just like any other college test. Let's take a look at some numbers and see what the real story is here. LSAT Scoring Scale First, we have to understand the scores that are produced by the test, because those scores help us measure difficulty. Our LSAT Scoring Scale discussion explains how the 120 to 180 scoring scale works. The key discussion … [Read more...]
Welcome to the LSAT Casino
When talking about the LSAT, and particularly when examining test results, I like to analogize the LSAT to a casino. Yes, there is the chance that you can go into the test and lose your shirt score-wise. However, what I'm really referring to is the somewhat random nature of the questions you encounter on the LSAT and how that can dramatically affect test takers. The Test is a Gamble The LSAT is a standardized test. While that means certain elements are consistently tested, norming protocols are used, and the test is administered in a similar way each time, the exact content of the LSAT … [Read more...]
Quantity Terminology: Some, Few, Several, and Many
Last weekend I got into a conversation with a friend about the exact meaning of few. Yes, sadly, this is how I spend my time. Like many people, she has a very definite idea of what few means: three or more. However, from an LSAT perspective, is that definitely correct? Actually, no.While many would agree that few means three or more, the dictionary definition is, "not many but more than one". So, a few cannot be one, but it can be as low as two. This surprises many people but highlights some of the dangers of taking the LSAT without preparing beforehand. You can easily end up … [Read more...]
Killer RC: The Hardest LSAT Reading Comprehension Passages of All Time
Students studying Reading Comprehension passages often want to see the hardest passages in LSAT history. To that end, here is a list of the hardest Reading Comprehension passages of all time, in chronological order. It is accompanied by our at-times jesting commentary. Although we can no longer offer direct downloads of the games due to LSAC rules, this publication identifier link will tell you where to find them. Want to try them all? We've compiled them into a Digital Practice Set. PT2, October 1991, Passage #3: Waterbugs This was the first “hard science” passage ever to appear on the … [Read more...]
Killer LG: The Hardest LSAT Logic Games of All Time
Why Review the Hardest Games? The Logic Games section is inevitable. For many, it’s the toughest section of the test. If Logic Games are generally difficult, why then would we choose to write about the hardest games ever to appear? The short answer is that there are tremendous benefits to be gained by reviewing these games. If you understand how to recognize them and deal with them, you’ll perform better in this section. In our In Person, Live Online, and Advanced Logic Games courses, we devote lesson segments to discussing killer games. In the Advanced Course in particular, we dedicate a … [Read more...]